Refrigerator and temperature regulation therein



/// ///////f////// //////f 7F gllll//l/l//l/l//l/ SPt- 24, 1940. J. H. HOFFBERGER 2,216,078

EFRIGERATOR AND TEMPERATURE REGULATION THEREIN Filed June 2e, 195s Patented Sept. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATOR AND TEMPERATURE REG. ULATION THEREIN Jacob H. Hoberger, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Merchants Terminal Corporation, Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Y Application June 26, 1933, Serial No. 677,731

Claims;

This invention is directed to temperature regulation and control in refrigerators, particularly those employing ice, either dry or Water ice as Athe source of refrigeration, and is particularly 5 concerned with structures in which temperature regulation and control is maintained substantially uniform and with minimum consumption of ice.

In refrigerators of the prior art in which ice is used for cooling purposes, circulation of air through the ice compartment has usually been employed, and the structure is designed to permit such circulation for two purposes, such as cooling or refrigerating the air before it passes back into the food compartment, and second because some washing eiect is obtained by such contact of the circulating air with the ice.

These prior art types of refrigerators in which air circulates into the ice compartments are relatively inefcient, requiring relatively large quantities of ice in order to maintain temperatures for refrigerating purposes, and further because the temperature varies materially with the quantity of ice in the ice compartment.

25 In more recent years applicant has developed refrigerator structures in which more uniform temperature control in ice refrigerators is obtained through the utilization of metallic floor plates for supporting ice in such ice' compartments, which floor plates are desirably provided with radiating ns enabling more ready control and much more uniform regulation of the temperature in such refrigerators. i

The present invention is particularly concerned with the use of such regulators in ice refrigerators. Among the objects of the present'invention are refrigerator structures in which the ice compartment is sealed against the entry of air from the food compartment by means of such 40 temperature regulators, the temperature regulators preferably, however, being removable for sanitary purposes, such as cleaning, etc.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention include structures in which the temperature regulators are made in tWo parts associated together to constitute the heat exchange medium between the circulating air of the food compartment and the refrigerant of the ice compartment, which two-part temperature regulator by varying the relation of one part to the other, and by making the two parts of different heat conductivity, permits of more accurate temperature control in the refrigerator. Still further objects and advantages will appear from the more detailed description set forth below, it kbeing understood, however, that this more detaileddescription is given by way of illustration and explanation only, and not by way of limitation, Vsincevarious changes may be made therein, bythose ,skilled in the art Without de- 5 `parting Yfrom the scope and spirit of the present l invention. Y

Inconnectionwith that more detailed description, there is shown in the accompanying drawing, in Y 1 Figure 1, avertical sectional View through an ice refrigerator constructed in accordance with the present invention; in

Figure 2, a fragmentary transverse sectional View of the refrigerator of Figure 1; in 15 Figure 3, a plan view of the temperature regulator shown in the refrigerator of Figures 1 and 2; in f v Figure 4, a fragmentary perspectivey View of a portion of the floor plate of Figure 3; and in v y Figure 5 aninverted fragmentary perspective View of the separable portionv of the floor4 plate carrying heat radiating fins.

As illustrated in the drawing, the invention will be described utilizing the ordinary type of home refrigerator having an upper ice compartmentthat extendsacross the entire upper portion of the. refrigerator, but'it will be understood that in describing the invention in connection with such type kof refrigerator no limitationis intended as the same principles and structures may be ern-l ployed with. any .other type of refrigerator employing ice orl similar refrigerant, whetherV such ice be dry or waterfice.l .:In this type of refrigerator, the refrigerator itself is generally denotedby R, and the usual doors by D. In such structures the ice compartment is indicated at I and the foodcompartmentat 2.

Further in the formof invention illustrated in the drawing, the temperature regulator is employed to sealthel ice compartment against any substantial entry of air from the food compartment, although these temperature lregulators constructedin accordance-with the lpresent invention may also be used in those types of refrigerators Where air is vpermitted to enter from the food compartment into the ice compartment; in which event the temperature regulator would-be supported in any convenient manner on thev Walls or regular floor of the icel compartment while l permitting air to circulate into contact with such temperature regulator and around its edges. v

In the preferred form of invention, however, as set forth in the drawing,the temperature lregulator seals the ice compartment'against any 55 substantial entry of air thereinto. Thus the floor plate 3 is made of a size corresponding with the cross section of the ice compartment in which it is to be used, so that when placed in position in the ice compartment, and preferably to constitute the floor thereof, the plate seals the ice compartment substantially against the entry of air from the food compartment. For this purpose the plate 3 may simply rest on supporting shoulders 4, 5, 6 and attached to the interior walls of the refrigerator, or any other equivalent or similar supporting means may be employed. This construction supplies a floor plate which is readily removable at will from the ice compartment for purposes of sanitation in order to clean such plate, after which it may be readily replaced in position. If desired, the plate 3 might be held in position by readily removable screws or bolts but these have been found to be unnecessary.

In the preferred form of this invention, the floor plate 3 is constituted by a fiat horizontal portion 8 constituting the front portion of the floor plate to which is attached a rectangular frame portion 9 that provides an opening I0 for purposes hereinafter described. The opening I0 may be provided by merely cutting away a portion of the flat portion 8 of the floor plate leaving surrounding ledges II and I2 defining the said opening. Desirably an upstanding lip or ledge I3 is formed along each side portion of the floor plate, while an upstanding lip or ledge i4 is provided along the rearward edge thereof. These upstanding lips I3 and I4 serve to form a strengthening and reenforcing structure for the floor plate 3. A metallic insert, slightly larger than the opening I of the oor plate 3, is provided to close the opening IIJ. This metallic insert plate I5 (-see Figure 5) is made of a size sufi'lciently great so that the extending edges of the plate I5 rest on the ledges II, I2 of the floor plate 3 defining the opennigl I0. As a result when the metallic plate I5v is inserted in position, the opening I0 of the floor plate 3 is completely closed. The ymetallic insert plate I5 is preferably made of a metal dissimilar from the floor plate 3, and the metal of the plate I5 is desirably made of greater heat conductivity than the metal of the floor plate v3 for purposes hereinafter set forth. Desirably all parts are of metal insofar as the floor plate 3 and metallic plate I5 are concerned, but in any event, the metallic insert plate I5 is made of metal so that it will have a relatively high conductivity, and when both the oor plate 3 and metal plate I5 are of metal, then the insert plate l5is preferably made of metal having a higher heat conductivity than that of the floorplate `3. To increase the heat conductivity of the metal plate I5, this is provided with metallic ns I6 projecting therefrom. These fins IS are angularly disposed with respect to the plate I5, and when the plate I5 is in position the fins I6 project toward the food compartment 2 of the refrigerator, thus materially increasing the heat conductivity of the metal insert plate I5. The metal insert plate I5 and projecting fins I6 are preferably of thersarne metal and may desirably be cast in one piece, or may be made of sections of plate I5 with corresponding fins I6 projecting therefrom that may be joined together to produce any size metallic insert plate desired.

The oor plate 3 with its metallic insert plate I5 is desirably positioned in the refrigerator to constitute the floor of the ice compartment, particularly when the floor plate and metallic insert plate are used to seal the ice compartment substantially against entry of air from the food compartment. Furthermore, the floor plate is desirably slanted slightly rearwardly in a front icer, as shown in Figure 2, so that as the ice melts there is a tendency for the ice to settle rearwardly in the box. This tendency is further enhanced by the added cooling effect obtained rearwardly in the refrigerator due to the increased cooling effects which are exhibited by the metallic plate I5 with depending ns I6. Consequently, referring to Figure 2, with the circulation of air in the direction shown in the arrows thereof, the warmer air in the food compartment 2 rises in the frontmost portion of the refrigerator, and moves against the bottom of the plate 8 of the floor plate 3. Some cooling effect is, of course, obtained at this point because the portion 8 of the floor plate 3 is in contact with the ice in the ice compartment I. The air circulates in the direction of the arrows along the bottom of the portion 8 of the floor plate 3 into contact with the insert plate I5 and the depending ns I5, where it is given an increased refrigeration, and thereupon descends rearwardly of the box to go through this circulating cycle again.

By this construction, the cooling effect is carefully controlled and regulated, and a much more pronounced cooling effect vmay be maintained in this way by fins I6 carried by insert plate I5 constituting only a portion of the floor ofthe oor plate 3, particularly when the plate I5 and fins I6 are different from that constituting the metal of the portion 8 of the floor plate Y3. When the entireoor plate is made of the same metal, usually aluminum alloy of relatively high heat conductivity, it has been found that sufficient control of the circulating airin theice compartment is obtained, butV due to the fact that the air rises from the food compartments and striking the plate of relatively high conductivity a more rapid melting of ice at the front of the ice compartment isA developed, causing the ice to slope in the direction of the door, making it necessary, therefore, when refilling with ice to remove the ice in the ice compartment and turn same around in order that the top of ice slopes in the direction of the back of the ice compartment, thereforeby having the'floor portion of this ice rack of a metal of less conductivity than an aluminum alloy, less heat is transmitted to the air striking this n as it rises from the food Acompartment, more heat being transmitted b y the aluminum alloy back ofthe ice rack causing a more rapid meltage of the ice at the back and therefore the ice will slope to the back.

The use of the two-part rack and plate as shown and described above is particularly important because it enables the opening I0 with the metallic insert plate i5 to be placed as desired within the ice compartment, either on the floor be varied as desired. Variation in position is found to be necessary, depending'lon whether the refrigerator is'a so-called front icer or a rear icer or a side icer or a top icer. Under these circumstances, it is desired to control the point in ther floor plate which gives the greatest cooling effect, and this is readily accomplished by means of the two-part floor plate 3, since the opening I0 can be placed at any portion of the fioor plate that is desired, and the metallic insert plate used to control the particular point at which the greatest cooling effect will be obtained. The use of a wall plate similar to the floor plate 3 maybe employed in those cases Where-the ice compartor the walls or otherwise, andthe position 'mayo ment has a side portion that is in contact withl the food compartment, although this is not nec'- essary since the means set forth above lhave been found to exert suicient control of the temperature with minimum consumption of ice.-

-The refrigerator may be suppliedv with the usual drain plate I'I and wastev water outlet I8, the drain plate I'I being held in the refrigerator just below the metallic insert'platev I5 andI depending ns I6. In view of the condensate which forms on the iins I6, Ithe air'in passing into contact with the metallic insert plate I5 and depending ns I6 receives a sufficient Washing` effect Without having to pass` into the lice compartment proper. Fur-ther, in View of the fact that the metallic insert plate I5 rests on the ledges II, I2 of thev floor plate 3, there is usually suilcient passage between the metal insert plate l5 and the ledges II and I2 at some point over the floor plate to permitwater which may form in ice compartment I -to pass between the metallic insert plate I5 andthe ledges IIl or l2 into the drain plate I'I.

-When thevoor plate 3 is not used Ito seal the ice compartment, it may be provided with legs to rest on the 'usual bottom of the ice compartment of the refrigerator, as more particularly shown in my companion application, Serial No. 628,749, filed August 13, 1932, for Temperature regulator for refrigerators. And instead of projecting ns I6 as hereinabove described, the elements projecting from the metallic insert plate I5 for increasing its heat conductivity may take any desired form, such as projecting pipes or lugs, as more particularly set forth in my companion copending application, Serial No. 656,574, filed February 13, 1933, entitled Refrigerators The hoor plate 3 may be made in one piece, or may be made of an L-shaped member constituting the ledges II and I2 and the upstanding anges I3 and I4 with a metallic plate portion B riveted thereto.

In use, the two-part floor plate 3 is inserted into the refrigerator to rest on supporting shoulders Il, 5, 6 and 'I and ice is then inserted in the ice compartment I. The circulation of air within the food compartment into Contact with the door plate 3 brings the air first into contact with the plate portion 8 of the oor plate 3, where it is given an initial cooling effect, and then into contact With the higher heat conducting metallic insert plate I5 and depending ns I6 where the nal cooling of the airis accomplished, after which the air 4then circulates through the food compartment, downwardly therein and rearwardly thereof, and this circulation o-f air is, of course, repeated.

As pointed out above, due to the fact that the metallic insert plate I5 with depending ns le may be placed at any desired portion of the floor plate 3, depending on the position at which the'opening I9 is placed, and similarly because the opening IB can be made of any size desired with a corresponding insert plate I5 to cover same, absolute control of the temperature is obtained with a minimum amount of consumption of ice. While the fins I6 or other projecting elements from the metallic insert plate I5 may be omitted, their use is preferred since an increased cooling effect is obtained by means thereof. Similarly variation of the thickness of the metal in the plate portion 8 of the floor plate 3 and of the metal of the metallic insert plate I5 and depending fins I6 may also be utilized as a means of temperature control, since increased thickness gives an increased cooling effect. The metallic insert-plate I5 with depending ns I6 may desirably be made of metal of high heat conductivity such as aluminum alloy or copper alloy, or any other desired metallic composition of high heat conductivity, while the remaining portion of the floor plate 3, particularly the horizontal portion 8 thereof, is desirably made of a metal, such as sheet iron which may be galvanized, having a much flower degree of heat conductivity, so that the stated temperature control is more readily effected.y

While, of course,l the floor plate 3 could be made a rigid immovable element constituting the iioor ofy the ice compartment, it is desirab-ly maderemovable, resting on the supporting ledges :$45, 6 andl l, so that the entire floor plate 3 andassociated metallic insert plate I5 may be removed for sanitary reasons, and may be readily cleaned such asy by washing and restored to position.

Further as pointed out above ,in the preferred form of the present invention, the floor plate seals the icecompartment substantially against the entry `of air from the food compartment. In such a structure where the entry of air from the food compartment into the ice compartment is prevented, there is a minimum consumption of ice. Where the ice compartment is not sealed against the entry of air from the food compartment, lower temperatu-res can be obtained with `the same `type of structure than in those cases Where `the ice compartment is sealed against the entry of air; but these lower temperatures thus obtained are obtained with a greater consumption of ice than that consumed When the ice compartment is sealed against the entry of any substantial amount of air from the food compartment. And since in the latter instance with the sealed ice compartment, adequate temperature control and degree of temperature is secured, it is unnecessary to permit circulation of air into the food compartment.

The invention described herein in any of its various forms may be employed in connection with refrigeration, either in the ice refrigerators employed in the home, in refrigerator cars on railroads, in refrigerating trucks and automobiles used for transporting perishable articles, and in any other desired type of structure. In refrigerator cars or automobile trucks, there is usually a bunker ycompartment containing the refrigerant. Such bunker compartment may then be provided with a side or floor plate of the character hereinabove described, and desirably such floor plate may actually constitute the floor of the bunker compartment in the` re-v frigerating structure in a manner now analogous to that described above in connection with the refrigerators specifically illustrating the present invention. y

As pointed out, any type of refrigerant such as dry ice or water ice may be used, and these temperature regulators will serve their purposes adequately, regardless of the type of refrigerant employed, although they are particularly designed for use with Water ice refrigeration. When dry ice is used in refrigerators, in the home type of refrigerator, thermostatic control of the temperature may be utilized in order to maintain the temperature in the Afood compartment at the desired point.

The term dry ice is used herein tov designate solid carbon dioxide, commonly referred to in the art as dry ice. f

Having thus set forth my invention, I claim:

1. In combination, an ice refrigerator having ice and food compartments, a floor plate in said ice compartment, the floor plate being cut away to provide an opening therein, and a metallic plate supported by the floor plate closing the aforesaid opening therein, the metallic vplate having a heat conductivity greater than that of the floor plate.

2. In combination, an ice refrigerator having ice and food compartments, a floor plate in said ice compartment, the floor plate being cut away to provide an opening therein, and a metallic plate supported by the oor plate closing the aforesaid opening therein, said metallic plate being provided with ns angularly disposed with respect thereto and extending toward the food compartment to increase the radiating surface of said metallic plate, the metallic plate having a heat conductivity greater than that of the oor plate.

3. A temperature regulator for refrigerators having the usual ice compartment, said regulator comprising a floor plate adapted to support ice in said ice compartment, the oor plate being cut away to provide an opening therein,

and a metallic plate supported by said floor plate and closing the aforesaid opening therein, the metallic plate having a heat conductivity greater than that of the floor plate.

4. A temperature regulator for refrigerators having the usual ice compartment, said regulator comprising a floor plate adapted to support ice in said ice compartment, the iloor plate being cut away to provide an opening therein, a metallic plate supported by the floor plate and closing the aforesaid opening therein, ns carried by said metallic plate and angularly disposed with respect thereto, the metallic plate having a heat conductivity greater than that of the floor plate.

5. A temperature regulator for refrigerators having the usual ice compartment, said regulator comprising a iloor plate adapted to support ice in said ice compartment, the floor plate being cut away to provide an opening therein, a metallic second plate supported by the metallic floor plate and closing the aforesaid opening therein, the metallic second plate carrying ns angularly disposed with respect thereto.

JACOB H. HOFFBERGER.. 

